Time Belt

Time Belt was a science fiction/comedy series that ran from June 30, 2003 – March 29, 2004 on Channel 101. It was created, written and produced by Chris Tallman, who starred as its main character, with Todd Bishop serving as Co-Producer, Editor and Director of Photography. The series followed the adventures of Dr. Bloom, a prestiged scientist who, after his girlfriend is killed in a lunar shuttle explosion, creates a belt that allows the wearer to travel through time. With intentionally poor production values, the series served as one of Channel 101's many homages to low-budget science fiction films.

Each episode usually starts and ends with Dr. Bloom entering and leaving a certain point in time and space. Towards the dramatic conclusion of each episode, Bloom responds to the situation with his catchphrase, "Fuck... that." Most sequences used in the credits, such as the ones depicting Bloom fighting Merlin and carrying Jesus from the cross, are not used in the actual show.

One of Channel 101's flagship series, it was created by producer/director/star Chris Tallman with the help of Todd Bishop and Rob Schrab. With low-budget techniques like toy dinosaurs and sound effects recorded from a microwave, they put together a pilot that was accepted by Channel 101. From there, Tallman and the crew created seven more episodes, ending in a dramatic conclusion that ties together the plot in the series finale.

The series is available to purchase on DVD.

Contents

Channel101.com Summary

Tallman, having won a Channy for Time Belt.

The very last of Channel 101's original Prime Time shows to be cancelled. Tallman unveiled his homemade, apartment-based epic about a man with a tinfoil time belt at Thoi on Vine in the summer of 2003. The next month, a new title sequence from Rob Schrab and shots and editing by Todd Bishop began to open the audience's mind, and Dr. Bloom became the face of Channel 101. In November of that year, Time Belt won the most Channies, including Best Show. Upon Computerman's cancellation, Time Belt became the longest running show in 101 history, and with no more barriers to cross, no more enemies to defeat and no more records to break, Time Belt voluntarily retired before a packed house at Cinespace, nearly one year later.

"Phase 2"

As part of the Channel 101 Spin-Offs special by Ryan Nagata, one segment shows a continuation of the story where Dr. Bloom's grandsons Chase and Lucas discover a Time Belt in the attic. Against their Grandfather's wishes they use the Belt and cause havoc with history, accidentally informing Hitler of the planned Normandy invasion and bringing the world to shambles. Dr. Bloom decides to build a Mark II. Time Belt and travels through time to fix their mistakes.

Opening Titles

Time Belt had two opening credits sequences.
Scenes appeared, such as a Wizard (played by Scott Chernoff) casting a spell, that did not appear in the series.

Take my hand
And open your mind.
My Love, don't say goodbye.
But if you
Take my hand
And follow your heart,
You'll find me... in time.

Trivia

The second line in the lyrics to "Take My Hand" is a small homage to the old theme.

In Episode One, Dr. Bloom states that time travel using the Belt would be limited to the user's own personal lifespan, a homage to Quantum Leap.

Dr. Bloom's Goggles were skiing/snowboarding goggles that Tallman bought in Colorado. He went into a snack shop, saw them on the counter and thought, "These look cool, I could use them for something.", about six months before Time Belt.[1]

Chris Tallman broke Todd Bishop's back during the filming of episode Five. Todd was playing a zombie and took a particularly nasty fall, resulting in back injury. JD Ryznar made reference to this in the opening sequence for the 2008 Channys.

The title is referred to as both "Time Belt" and "Timebelt" on the Channel 101 Website.